Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a "Forgotten" Dimension

Despite a wealth of evidence demonstrating a strong positive correlation between a person's spirituality and their mental health, there is also evidence which suggests that it is not being taken seriously by those who seek to provide health care. John Swinton presents a model of mental health care that will enable carers to incorporate spirituality effectively into their caring strategies. Using a critical, evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary mental health practice, the author explores the therapeutic significance of spirituality for clients in a number of different contexts with problems such as psychotic disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease and AIDS, from the perspective of both carers and service-users. The author also provides a critical review of existing literature in this field to assess the place of spirituality in contemporary theory and practice. This book offers a vital new perspective that will enable care professionals to understand both the positive and negative aspects of spirituality and mental health care and to inform their own practice in light of this.